Resilient rear-wheel fork for motor-cycles.



J. E. McLEOD.

RESIUENT REAR WHEEL FORK FOR MOTOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.24. 1913. RENEWED MAY 26. 1915.

1,147,415. Patented July 20,1915.

.2 SHEETS-SHEET L 62X? 7 i/ mewbo z J. E. McLEOD.

RESILIENT REAR WHEEL FORK FOR MOTOR CYCLES.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.24, 19:3. RENEWED MAY 26.1915.

1, 147,41 5, Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

immm ili To all whom it may concern .1

JOHN" ivrennon'; on wnsnmeronrnnsasi;

RESIEZEENI" REAR-WHEEL FOZRK FGR MG IOBFCY GLESE- PtttntedJ uly 20;1915.

Application filed January. 2,4,. 19J.3;.Seria1 No. 744,0Q4Z.,ReneWedMay26, 1915. Serial No.- 305689.

Be it known. that 1,...10HN. E. .MoLnon, a citizen of the United States;residingLa-t Washingtony in the county of l/Vashington State of Kansas,have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient. Rear- YWVheel Forks for Motor-Cycles; and 'I do hereby declare. the followingto. be a full, clear, and: exact descniption-ofthe invention, such aswill enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make anduse the,

Same.

This invention relates to shock. absorbers and has for its principalobject to provide an improved attachment for. motorcycles,

which will serve to take up the. jar of the rear wheel pjassing overinequalities in the road. p 1

A further. object of tllQwiIlVQIltrlOQ- is. to provide improved'mounting' for, the rear,

wheeled vehicles. and which; when used upon.

a motorcycle will allow the rear wheel to yield) without loosening the.drive.-

With the above 'ObjeGtS 1IL'VlQW the in;

vention consists of certain novel details of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it beingunderstood that various modifications may be made in the minon detailsof construction within the scope of the appended claims In theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification :Figure 1 is aside elevation of a motorcycle embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is aside elevation with the rear wheel in one position of yielding movement.Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken onthe line 44 Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation with theseat in longitudinal section. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the partsshown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the partsshown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 88Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts, 10 designates the frame of a motorcycle thesame including in its construction a rear tubular drop bar 11 whichcarries a hanger shell 12 that supports the pedal crank shaft 13 theseparts being of usual on; the rear si d e} and. within thisbox is mounteda1 tubular bearing 15 having a, A 2

square. bore withiniwliich is disposed a bolt 16. of. squarecros's1section .the bolt being provided" with reduced terminalextensions 17?. A pair-oflower .bracearms 1 8 are each providedaatx theforward endv with an eye hiichreceives: the corresponding exten- SlOIL-of the bolt ,i a'washer 20v being dis-v posed on said extension. betweenthe eye "and thebolt andaa. second washer 21 being disposed-:betweentheeye and a clamp nut 22 which is threadedon to extension. .The securedto. the cbearing. which being revolublv mountedin the box permits. ofthe arms swinging. up at the free ends.

A sea-t post23 is passed into the upper end of the rear drop bar 11' andis secured to the latter by means of a transverse pin 24. of reartubularbrace arms 25 the ends of the leafi27 and the upper member of theelliptical spring. 28 to secure the spring to the arm.

Th rear. wheel 30 1. is: interposed between the: rear brace arms 25 andelliptical springsv 28 carried thereby, the wheel having a hub shownconventionally at 31, from which the ends of the spindle 32 project. Theends of the spindle are inserted between the uppermost leaf'33 and nextunderlying leaf 34 of the lower member of the adjacent ellipticalspring. spindle and springs is made in rear of the center of the lowermember of each spring so that the springs normally slope forwardly asshown. v v

A supplemental fork 35 is provided, the arms 36 of this fork passingacross the rear brace arms 25 and straddling the rear wheel. The forkarms are terminally equipped with screw eyes 37 and the rear ends of thelower brace arms 18 are also equipped with screw eyes 38 which bear uponand register with the screw eyes 37, A bushing 39 surrounds each end ofthe spindle 32 and passes through the adjacent registering eyes 37 andSuch connection betweenthe 38, and is held against the elliptical springby a washer a0 and nut 41 carried on the s indle, as clearly shown inFig. l.

The upper end of the supplemental fork stem is passed loosely through arearwardly inclined eye 42 formed on the seat post 23, and a pair ofnipple washers 4:3 snugly fit in the eye and surround the fork loosely.A helical spring 44: is seated on the fork stem and is confined betweenthe shoulder 45 of the fork and lowermost of the nipple washers. Ahelical spring 46 is seated on the stem above the seat post eye and isconfined between a collar 4L7 on the stem and uppermost of the nipplewashers. wheel passing over bed, the lower member of each ellipticalspring 27 will yield as will also both of the helical springs a l and4:6 with a resultant cushioning of the frame 10.

The seat 48 is of such contour as to conceal the stem and helicalsprings of the supplemental fork and is secured at the forward end tothe gasolene reservoir L9 by a spring 50, and is provided at the rearend with an attaching arm 51 on each side which is terminally secured tothe end of a transversely disposed bar 52that is fixed to the seat post23 below the eye 42 thereof. The yielding of the supplemental fork isthus unobstructed since the seat simply houses the stem of the fork andis connected to the seat post below the fork stem as described.

What is claimed, is

1. The combination with the rear brace arms of a motorcycle, ofelliptical springs having the upper members secured to the lower ends ofsaid brace arms, lower brace arms having the rear ends secured to thelower members of said elliptical springs, a seat post, and asupplemental fork having Copies of this patent may be obtained for Uponthe rear inequalities in the roadthe arms secured to the lower membersof said elliptical springs and having the stem yieldably connected tosaid seat post.

2. The combination with the rear brace arms of a motorcycle, ofelliptical springs having the upper members secured to the lower ends ofsaid brace arms, a rear ground wheel, a spindle for said ground wheelsecured to the lower members of said elliptical springs, lower bracearms secured at the rear ends to said spindle, a seat post, asupplemental fork having the arms secured to the ends of said spindle,and a yielding connection between said supplemental fork and said seatpost.

3. The combination with the rear brace arms of a motorcycle, ofelliptical springs having their upper members secured to the lower endsof said brace arms, a ground wheel having a spindle passed through thelower members of said elliptical springs in rear of the centers of thelatter whereby said springs slope forwardly, swinging lower brace armshaving their rear ends connected to said spindle, a supplemental forkhaving the arms terminally connected to said spindle, a seat post, thestem of said supplemental fork passing through said seat post looselyand being adapted to vibrate therethrough, and helical springs on saidstem on opposite sides of said seat post cushioning the vibratorymovement of said supplemental fork.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN E. MoLEOD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. E.

